Latest Offenders

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A "DANGEROUS" paedophile has been jailed for multiple sexual offences against a child which began when she was eight years old.

Phillip Hull, 28 of Hawtree Close, Southend, appeared at Basildon Crown Court today where he was jailed for more than 10 years after admitting to multiple sexual offences against a child.

Hull was arrested two days after Essex Police's child abuse investigation team received a report of sexual abuse.

The victim reported multiple accounts of sexual assault, which began when she was eight years old.

Following extensive enquiries, Hull was charged with attempted rape of a girl under 13, two counts of sexual assault of a girl under 13, two counts of causing a girl to engage in sexual activity, observing a person doing a private act, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, engaging in sexual communication with a child and four counts of assault a girl under 13 by touching.

In a court hearing, Hull denied attempted rape of a girl under 13, two counts of causing a girl to engage in sexual activity, voyeurism and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

This plea was accepted by the judge and Hull was sentenced today to 10 years and six months in prison.

He has been ordered to serve at least two thirds of that sentence.

He was also issued with a restraining order against the victim for life. As well as this, he was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and issued with a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A paedophile jailed for trying to contact children online says he did it as a form of escapism from his boring job. Alastair Walsh, 49, has been locked up for 18 months after being caught in a police sting.

He was convicted of attempted sexual communication with three online profiles set up by undercover cops. He quickly turned the chat sexual and discussed the possibility of meeting up.

He did not know the profiles were decoys and the children did not exist. Police arrested him at his home in Ilfracombe and seized devices. They found evidence he also liked to chat with other paedophiles about his fantasies online.

Walsh admitted three offences of attempted sexual communication with a child and one of distributing an indecent image.

Prosecutor Paul Grumbar said the three communication offences each followed a similar pattern with Walsh using Kik and thinking he was messaging girls. In one message to a decoy 13-year-old he said he said was a 19-year-old call Al.

He sent photos of a male torso and told the 'child' he wanted to put his hands down her skirt. He also sent a pornographic image via WhatsApp.

Police arrested him in June 2022 and seized his devices. Analysis showed a number of messages, including one where he shared a category B image of a real girl aged 10-12, and others involving long discussions with other paedophiles.

He told police the activity was an escape because he was going through a difficult time and denied any intention to meet the children.

Walsh is now ashamed of his actions and would welcome rehabilitative work. He was drinking a bottle of wine and cider every day at the time and "wasn't enjoying his job," working as a manager for an unnamed firm, said Zoe Kuyken, defending. He now has a new job as a coach driver and is much happier.

Judge David Evans said: "It seems you have a clear interest in underage girls. You engaged with three profiles for young girls aged 12-13 online. You turned things sexual quite rapidly each time.

"You send them partial photos of naked bodies and solicited images from them. You discussed underage girls with other like-minded adults. You clearly pose some risk of reoffending and clearly have an interest in underage girls."

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A nan now goes to bed every night with a pair of scissors under her pillow after she was raped at knifepoint by a man she met at a bus stop.

Alex Belay appeared to be a "nice lad", and the nan agreed to go back to his flat in the belief that she had missed the last bus home. But he instead snatched her phone from her as she spoke to her son, held a knife to her stomach and throat and subjected her to a horrific sexual assault.

She was left "genuinely believing" she was going to die during the attack. A remorseless Belay then "smirked" after finally bringing the ordeal to an end.

Liverpool Crown Court heard this week the victim had been visiting a friend before leaving to get the bus home at around midnight. She encountered the defendant at the bus stop but, believing they had missed the last service of the evening, they then began walking away together while chatting, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, described how Belay then invited the woman into his flat on Sefton Moss Villas in Litherland. She agreed as she "thought she would be safe and wasn't in danger because he was much younger than her".

But, having returned from the toilet, she "felt that something was wrong" and told him that she was going to leave. Belay, an asylum seeker who was born in Eritrea and came to the UK in 2020 after fleeing civil war in Sudan, responded by turning the lights out and pushing her.

When she answered an incoming call from her son, the 26-year-old took her phone from her and locked the front door. He then grabbed a knife and held it to her stomach and pointed it at her throat "every time she began to speak".

Ms Beesley said: "She thought she wasn't going to get out of there alive."

Belay then pushed the woman onto his bed, pulled her trousers down and raped her. When the assault finished, she asked "can I go?" before escaping and phoning a family member.

A trial previously heard that she was able to describe her attacker's clothing and flat "in great detail", while she was found to have left her cigarette lighter in his bathroom. Belay's DNA was also discovered in her underwear, but he denied having even met her.

In a statement which was read out to the court on her behalf during his sentencing on Thursday, she detailed how she had "tried to kill herself numerous times" since and added: "Before this happened, my life wasn't perfect but I was a jolly person. I was happy and always had a smile on my face.

"I felt like I had everything to live for. I would do anything for anyone. Since the day this happened to me, I have been so angry and depressed. I just feel numb.

"I feel so dirty and I have no self respect. I am so angry for being so stupid. I never thought for one second that my life would be ruined by this. This has consumed me.

"It's all I think about. The day this happened to me, my world ended. When I go to bed, I keep a pair of scissors under my pillow. I don't feel safe any more, not even in my own home.

"I didn't do anything wrong. I'm paying for what he did to me. I just don't understand how he could do this. I go over what happened to me every day.

"What has happened to me has scarred me for life. I sometimes think, why didn't he kill me? I just thank god for letting me live so I can see my kids again. I will never be the same again.

"I am scared of my own shadow all the time. I just can't carry on this way. I just want to forget everything and get on with life, but I just can't. It's always there, every minute of the day."

Stella Hayden, defending, told the court: "This is plainly a particularly grave example of an offence even this serious in nature. It is very difficult to realistically advance that this is not a case where there has been severe psychological harm.

"It seems to have been a chance encounter when at the bus stop late at night. It is his first conviction. He is still a relatively young man. I understand that, given his status, he is likely to be deported in any event."

Belay was found guilty of rape by a jury. He was jailed for 12 years, a term of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release.

Sentencing, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said: "She saw no danger in you. She described you as being what she thought was a nice lad.

"She was a chatty person and you invited her back to your flat. Once she got into the flat, she got the feeling that something wasn't right. She said she wanted to leave, but you wouldn't let her. You turned the light off and locked the door, and you took her phone off her.

"At the time, she was speaking to her son. It is clear from the evidence that he was left distraught, having heard something of his mother's panic and the phone then being turned off.

"She pleaded with you to let her go. You picked up a large knife and put it to her stomach and then, when she tried to speak, put it to her throat. You dragged her to the bedroom, taking the knife with you. You pulled her lower clothes off and forced her onto the floor, where you then raped her."

"She was petrified. She genuinely believed you were going to kill her. It was her account that, as you got off her having raped her, you smirked. She left that flat traumatised.

"The evidence against you in this case was, in my judgement, overwhelming. You denied that you had ever met her, ever had any contact with her or that she had ever been in your flat. You have shown no remorse and continue to deny that you ever even met her. Your attack on her has had a devastating effect.

"She is still suffering greatly. Her mental health has been seriously damaged. She has made numerous attempts to take her own life. She is left feeling angry with herself for trusting you.

"You have, in her words, wrecked her life. She feels that she will never get over what you did to her. I accept that your time growing up in a war torn country would have been extremely traumatic for you. I take into account your age and that you have no previous convictions."

Judge Pierpoint also said of the victim: "I want to say that she is a strong woman who should be commended for her bravery in standing up against you."

Belay began remonstrating in his native tongue with his interpreter in the dock before he was led down to the cells by dock officers, who told him "go, go on". He will be required to sign the sex offenders register for life.

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An online predator who pretended to be a 12-year-old girl to encourage other young people to share indecent images has been jailed.

We discovered Dominic Woodcock had used a fake profile on various social media channels to befriend young girls between 2021 and 2023.

He claimed to be involved in a gymnastics club and encouraged girls - mainly aged between 10 and 12 - to pursue such a career.

However, once a rapport was established Woodcock would request indecent images of the girls and threatened to expose them on social media if they refused.

After being alerted to his depraved behaviour we quickly identified and arrested Woodcock from Erdington.  We seized his phone and found concerning images and messages.

The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images and engaging children into sexual activity.

He was jailed for four years and eight months at Birmingham Crown Court last Wednesday (3 April) and put on the sex offenders register for life.

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A PAEDOPHILE has been put behind bars after sexually assaulting a teenager – then returning to try again.

A judge said that Dean Redmond ‘violated’ the girl to ‘satisfy his perverted desires’, before blaming the victim and ‘attempting to conceal evidence’.

The 27-year-old only came clean when scientific evidence exposed his actions, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

He appeared there after admitting four counts of sexual assault and possession of an offensive weapon in a private place in the form of a knuckleduster.

Frank Dillon, prosecuting, informed the court how the defendant was alone with the victim in Warrington and asked if she wanted to be treated ‘like a kid or her age’, before kissing her.

He then ‘got on top of her’ and again started to kiss and grope her, before lifting her clothing and touching her in an inappropriate, sexual and unwanted manner.

He left her alone when she said she did not want to keep going – but Redmond returned later and again tried to remove here clothing.

The victim reported the incident to an adult and the police were informed.

Officers attended his Hood Manor home and arrested him, and during a search of the address, they found a knuckleduster.

The court heard that Redmond ‘recently showered’, and that this was an ‘attempt to conceal evidence’.

He denied sexual assault, telling officers that the victim had ‘accused him of being a drug dealer’ and that if he did not leave, ‘she would say he had touched her’.

The court heard an impact statement prepared by the victim, who said she suffers ‘constant flashbacks, cannot get the incident ou of her head and does not feel herself anymore’.

“My whole life has been turned upside down. I no longer feel safe anywhere,” she said.

"My mum said she cannot remember the last time she saw me smile or laugh. I just constantly feel down.

"I have felt empty inside ever since it happened. At night when I close my eyes and when I'm awake, it's all I think about.”

Mr Dillon detailed to the court Redmond’s previous convictions, including a suspended prison sentence for being concerned in the supply of cannabis in 2015 and a fine for battery in 2018.

Defending his client, Julian Nutter, highlighted the defendant’s ‘good employment’, and the fact that the ‘inevitable’ custodial sentence will ‘destroy his capacity to support his family’.

Before sentencing, recorder Richard Pratt said: "You began a series of sexual assaults upon her by forcibly trying to kiss her.

“She sought to escape your attentions, but you were undeterred.

"I am entirely satisfied that she did not give you the slightest indication that she wanted you to touch her sexually.

“She was plainly in deep distress, and that distress has continued.

"She has, on any view, been significantly affected psychologically by your actions. It has disrupted her upbringing significantly, in my view.

"You have, in so many ways, violated her. Despite the fact that she was a child, you found her sexually attractive and wanted to satisfy your perverted desires there and then despite her age.

"To add insult to injury, you accused her of making false allegations. You persisted with that lie.

"Scientific evidence exposed your case once and for all. Only then did you own up.

“The reality is that your actions have shown very little remorse at all, trying to avoid responsibility for what you did."

Redmond, of Sycamore Lane in Hood Manor, was sentenced to four years and two months immediate imprisonment.

He was also told he must sign the sex offender register for life and was handed an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim.

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Stephen Morgan, of North Cliff Road, Doncaster was caught when a police operation was carried out, resulting in the suspect believing he was speaking to a 12-year-old and wanting to meet up with them.

In February 2024, the 38-year-old engaged in conversation online with a child profile. During their communications Morgan asked for photos and made explicit comments about engaging in sex acts.

Morgan attempted to arrange a meeting, offering to pick them up from school, he also suggested going swimming with him in a pond.

He was arrested from his vehicle on 29 February 2024 as he arrived at his home.

Morgan, a registered sex offender, was found guilty of one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child, and one count of attempting to arrange or facilitate commission of sexual activity with child, at Sheffield Crown Court on 25 March 2024.

On Friday (5 April) he was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Please remember victims of sexual offences are granted anonymity for life. Identifying them is a criminal offence and police will take action.

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A man who subjected two children to repeated sexual abuse during the 1980s and 1990s has been jailed.

Bernard High, of Rochester, was convicted of 16 offences, including indecent assault and gross indecency.

His crimes were initially reported to Kent Police in September 2018 and he was arrested on 17 November the same year.

At Maidstone Crown Court, the 67-year-old was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

High, of Jenner Road, denied the offences and the case went to trial, where he was found guilty on all counts.

He was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment and added to the sex offenders register for life.

Det Sgt Rachael Cheney said High was a despicable individual who targeted the vulnerable victims.

The crimes committed by High have had a long-lasting impact on their lives and I hope they can now move forward in the knowledge that their abuser is serving a considerable prison sentence, she said.

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A former successful businessman and charity worker has been jailed after he groomed and groped a teenager.

Grant Findley told the schoolgirl he could be her "sugar daddy" when she turned 16 and told her she wouldn't be allowed a boyfriend.

Findley, 42, of Stream Valley Farm, Burnhope, Durham, denied ten counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of meeting a child following sexual grooming.

However, he was found guilty by a jury and at Durham Crown Court today (Tuesday, April 9) Judge Jo Kidd sentenced him to three years in prison.

The judge told him: "You conducted yourself previously with great hard work, perseverance, and intelligence.

"You were on the face of it a generous and kind man.

"That reputation and that behaviour masked your pursuit of a child in order to satisfy your sexual interest in children.

"Your perception of women was clearly in my view warped and misogynistic."

The victim bravely read an impact statement in court and said: "Because of Grant did to me I now really struggle to trust people especially men.

"I now struggle to sleep, suffering repeated nightmares where I relive what Grant did and said to me.

"I have found the last few years incredibly draining. When Grant was doing it to me it made me feel dirty.

"My anxiety has got so bad I can't face answering the door.”

Findley must also sign the sex offender's register and be subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

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Roger Timothy John Steele, 49, of Washington Street, Kidderminster, was jailed for eight years for assaulting a teenaged girl aged 14 or 15.

A man who lured a teenage girl into his car before sexually assaulting her has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Roger Steele, 49, came across the young woman while she was shopping in Rhyl.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard Steele had offered the girl a lift and he forced himself on her until she kicked him and ran away.

Steele, who now lives on Washington Street, Kidderminster, denied assault by penetration of a female aged 13 or over between 2007 and 2008, but was found guilty by a jury last week. Prosecutor Paulinus Barnes said Steele carried out the assault at his house.

As Steele attempted to assault her, she kicked him but he told her that no-one would believe her and threatened to hurt her or her family if anyone else found out, reports North Wales Live.

The victim finally revealed what had happened after learning several years later in 2021 that Steele had been convicted of another offence. Her statement revealed that although not entirely due to this particular incident, she continues to be tortured by night terrors.

She now feels a sense of relief following Steele's prosecution, and no longer fears for her or her family's safety but is still uncomfortable and anxious around men.

Steele's defence counsel, Edmund Potts, said Steele could still be rehabilitated, noting his recent employment progression in the construction industry from ground worker to supervisor.

In sentencing Steele, Judge Nicola Saffman highlighted the premeditated nature of his actions in luring the girl to his home and using physical force and threats against her family. She issued an indefinite restraining order preventing Steele from contacting his victim and noted that he is also subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

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55-year-old Marcelino Goncalves, from Acton, was arrested and convicted after being highlighted as a high-harm offender and prolific abuser. 

He was convicted on Friday 22 March for rape, assault by beating, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stalking and controlling coercive behaviour.

Goncalves came to police attention when a member of public saw him assault a woman known to him. The victim then disclosed her long history of abuse she faced – threatening her at her home, burning her with a cigarette because she did not want to have sex with him and punching her in the face.

Goncalves even continued to target her while on remand, making 15 calls from prison, but with enhanced management within the prison system, they were able to put a stop to the harassment when it was reported.

He will be sentenced on Friday 7 June.

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A Rugby man has been jailed for one year after breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Marcus Hicks, 23, of Balcombe Road, Rugby was sentenced last week at Warwick Crown Court.

Hicks became a registered sex offender after being convicted of making indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornographic images involving animals. He was also made subject to a SHPO.

Hicks was found to have breached these conditions by:

• Having communication with someone online to obtain indecent photographs of children.
• Failing to notify the police about a bank card he possessed.

When officers from the Warwickshire Police Offender Management Unit paid an unannounced visit to Hicks in February 2023, they found bank cards he had not declared to police.

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A 34-year-old man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young woman on a train between Birmingham and Manchester

Kristaps Berzins, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court

The court heard that despite  the woman wearing headphones, he attempted to engage her in conversation making personal and inappropriate comments.

Berzins remarks became increasingly aggressive eventually escalating to him sexually assaulting the woman.

When Berzins went to the toilet the woman quickly moved to another seat and reported what had happened to a member of train staff who alerted British Transport Police.

He was jailed for seven months and issued with a five year Sexual Harm Prevention order which forbids him from sitting next to or across from, approaching, touching or communicating with any lone female on public transport.

He must also sign the sex offenders register for seven years and pay compensation of £300.

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A man who flashed his penis on a South London bus to 'have a look at it' has been spared jail. Caine Sparkes exposed himself in front of disgusted passengers on a 155 bus, which runs between Elephant and Castle and Tooting, on November 9 last year, apparently to check his penis rather than for others see, Inner London Crown Court heard on Tuesday (April 9).

The 41-year-old of Ouseley Road, Wandsworth, was sat on the lower deck towards the front of the double-decker bus, at around 8:30pm, when he pulled genitals over the waistband of his trousers 'on several occasions', prosecutor Alex Ng told the court.

"It was brief exposures, from the CCTV. He took it out and he had a look at himself, rather than intending for others to look at it. At some stage his left hand was inside his trousers near the private part, but there's no obvious signs he was doing anything down his trousers," said Mr Ng.

Police were called by a witness of the act, but they refused to give their details. The call and CCTV evidence was enough to secure a conviction, but a victim impact statement was not provided for Tuesday's hearing.

Just over a month after the incident, Sparkes was arrested at his supported living home on December 19. Sparkes admitted a single count of exposure at Croydon Magistrates'. He was also charged with failing to pay a bus fare, but this was not mentioned at Tuesday's hearing.

Sparkes was previously convicted of outraging public decency in 2007, and has a number of offences for low level thefts. Mr Ng said there was no raised harm or culpability, apart from the presence of others on the bus, as he called for a fine or Community Order.

The judge called Sparkes' Hestia support worker to the witness stand, who explained his life in high-level supported living where he can go and come back as he wants but must heed the rules when he is at home. Defence counsel Adrian Macho called for a specific mental health intervention to address his client's issues.

A probation worker, who authored the pre-sentence report, also said Sparkes' additional needs would be best catered for by Hestia, as he agreed with the defence about the need for specialist mental health treatment.

Judge Ian Darling told Sparkes: "You have pleaded guilty to a serious offence of exposure on the 155 bus in the mid-evening of November last year. The reason why that is a serious offence is because it happened on a bus with other members of the public, and possibly young children could have been present. That's why the court takes it so seriously."

Judge Darling said the concerns about Sparkes' mental health were being dealt with by his team in Wandsworth, and therefore the case could be dealt with by a 12-month Community Order. This also included a 12-month mental health treatment requirement and 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirement to stop Sparkes repeating his display.

"Providing you comply with the order, all will be well. If you fail to comply, without reasonable excuses, you may be brought back to court and resentenced," warned Judge Darling.

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A "dangerous predator" has been jailed for eight years for historic sexual assaults on two girls

Kevin Gleeson from Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, was convicted after the victims told police about abuse that happened two decades ago.

Gleeson, 67, denied all twelve charges but was found guilty after a trial at Northampton Crown Court.

Northamptonshire Police has praised the "courage" of the women who came forward

The court heard how the victims told the police in August 2020 that Gleeson had abused them when they were children.

The force's Protecting Vulnerable People department began an investigation which found Gleeson had assaulted one of the children several times and then attacked the other during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Gleeson, from Straws Close in Irthlingborough, was charged with 11 counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14, and one count of gross indecency with a girl under 14.

He was found guilty on all charges last November and remanded in custody.

On 29 February 2024, he appeared before the same court and was told he would serve a total of eight years in prison.

'Abhorrent' abuse

Det Con Abigail Kennedy, who led the investigation, said: "Kevin Gleeson's repeated abuse of two young children was abhorrent, and I am very glad that he has received a significant prison sentence which reflects the severity of his offending.

"The passage of time may have left Gleeson feeling he had got away with what he did, but thanks to the courage of the two survivors who came forward to report him he has now been proven in court to be both a dangerous sexual predator and a liar."
Gleeson will also appear on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

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Police have snared a rapist - after the sex beast confessed his crimes to a priest. Rapist Peter Rogerson wrote a partial confession in a note handed to Father Michael White at Sacred Heart Church, in Tamworth, and Staffordshire Police were called in.

A jury last year convicted the 58-year-old of 24 serious sexual offences involving three victims - including 10 rapes.

Now Rogerson has been handed a 34-year extended jail sentence - including at least 18 years in custody before he can be considered for parole. He refused to appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for his sentencing hearing.

Prosecutor Ben Douglas-Jones KC said: "This was a truly sickening campaign of rapes and other very serious sexual offences."

The court heard moving statements read by the victims who spoke of the devastating impact the abuse has had on them.

One said: "I will never forget how much damage he caused." A second said she feels 'such a failure'.

Carl Templar-Vasey, mitigating, said Rogerson, of Halford Crescent Tamworth, has since admitted five of the offences.

Judge Sally Hancox has handed Rogerson an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and put him on the Sex Offenders' Register for life. He must serve two-thirds of his 28-year custodial sentence before he can even be considered for parole.

Judge Hancox said: "Your offending can only be described as dreadful. I find you do fulfil the criteria and are a dangerous offender."

The judge commended the officer in charge of the case - Detective Constable Alex Goldman - for her hard work and high level of diligence and said she will be put forward for a High Sheriff's Award.